This invention relates generally to collection systems and more particularly to a new and improved waste grease truck and method for collecting discarded fat from, for example, restaurants and transporting the fat to a remote location.
The accumulation of waste grease and fat from restaurants or the like requires that the fat be stored in large containers such as 55 gallon drums. The fat then solidifies in the drums and must be disposed of by the owner of the restaurant as the amount of waste grease accumulates.
In prior art collection systems, it is common for private contractors having flatbed trucks to contract to pick up the solidified containers of fat and to remove them to a remote location where they are emptied. This process requires that a large number of empty drums be placed on the flatbed truck before it leaves on a collection run with the contractor then picking up a full solidified drum of fat and leaving an empty drum in its place.
It is apparent that this process is cumbersome and time-consuming since the drums have to be stored at the contractor's warehouse and must be placed on the truck before its initial collection run and also must be taken off of the truck after the run is completed. In addition, during the picking up of the solidified grease drums, continuous shuffling around of full drums and empty drums must be completed. As the fat in the collected drums solidifies and is usually solid when collected, each drum must also be heated at the contractor's warehouse in order to melt the contents sufficient to permit removal of the contents from the drum at the remote location. Upon arrival at the remote location, all of the drums of collected waste grease must be then collected and deposited in one large, flame-heated vat or reservoir at the warehouse.